Riding a small bike for six hours under a blazing sun? No problem. Living in a tent for days to wait for school opening? No problem. Living on a box of cereal and two gallons of water until he finds a job? No problem.
For 19-year-old Fred Barley, those are just little inconveniences that would not stop him from pursuing his dream of becoming a doctor someday.
Last week, he left Conyers, his hometown, took his brother's bike and drove for six hours through the 100-degree heat of the Georgia summer to register for classes for his second semester as a biology major at Gordon State College in Barnesville, Georgia. He carried two duffel bags that included a box of cereals and two gallons of water, WSB-TV 2 Atlanta reports.
However, when he arrived on the school campus he found out that dorms don't open until next month. Barley decided to wait it out, pitching a tent in some bushes on campus.
Barley began looking around for any job that could provide him food. When he returned to his tent Saturday night, he was surprised to find police officers telling him to come out with his hands up.
But the officers quickly realised that Barley did not pose a threat as they sat down with him to hear his story.
The officers told him they could not allow him to stay inside his tent. But instead of pushing him away, the officers did something extraordinary: They took him to a local motel and paid for his next two nights.
That was just the beginning of Barley's lucky streak. The wife of one of the officers posted his story on a Barnesville community Facebook page and hundreds of people stepped up to help.
Casey Blaney, a resident, heard of Barley's story and helped him find a job at a pizzeria owned by Debra Adamson, who hired Barley instantly.
That's not all. Barley has been receiving donated clothes, school supplies, shoes and a new bike. People have also volunteered to take care of his dental and medical needs.
To top it off, Blaney created a Facebook page called Success For Fred and also started a GoFundMe page that's raised over $184,000 for Barley's education, CBN News reports.
Barley said he is extremely grateful for all the kindness shown him by people he didn't even know.
"Some of the gifts aren't as important as the friends I've made. More important than everything—the clothes, the shoes—the relationships mean so much more to me," he said.
He said God has been the driving force that keeps him going.
"The Bible says, 'You can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,' so I know I can," he said. "My legs are working. Millions of people walk and bike to work every day. I definitely think I can bike a couple hours to get to my future."
